Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Receives $31.12 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.12.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MRO shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $27.61 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 1.6 %

MRO traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $27.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,521,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,996,924. The stock has a market cap of $15.25 billion, a PE ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 2.16. Marathon Oil has a fifty-two week low of $21.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The business's 50-day moving average is $27.29 and its 200-day moving average is $27.50.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Marathon Oil's payout ratio is currently 17.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Oil news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,750,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Marathon Oil news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total value of $1,033,980.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Oil

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Founders Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 77.4% during the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its position in Marathon Oil by 89.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 1,620 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company's stock.

Marathon Oil Company Profile

Marathon Oil Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, engages in exploration, production, and marketing of crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in the United States and internationally. The company also produces and markets products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquefied natural gas and methanol.